We’ve heard over and over again that weight loss is important in managing PCOS and that diet and exercise are more effective than medications in improving your PCOS symptoms. Previously, we’ve focused a lot on the importance of diet and the kind of diet we should all be following.But, we haven’t really tackled the topic of exercise and just about every day I get emails asking me about what exercise we should be doing and how much. So, I think it’s time to have a closer look at exercise and it’s importance in managing our symptoms.My own relationship with exercise is a bit hit and miss. Before getting married, I went to the gym about 5 times a week, doing cardio and circuit training. I looked and felt great but my PCOS was undiagnosed and I didn’t have many symptoms. It was also 7 years ago before I settled into married life and had a baby.

Diet and exercise are more effective than medications in improving your PCOS symptomsNow, I find that time tends to run away with me and I have not managed to get back on track. I did run for about 3 months last summer but became despondent when I saw no improvements in my weight, waist circumference or other symptoms (in fairness I also wasn’t focussed on my diet and didn’t try particularly hard). I know that I’m not the only one like this out there. I’m sure some of you can relate to this (please tell me you can relate!!!)I have often said that if I understand why I need to do something, I’m far more likely to actually do it. That is why I think we need to have a closer look at the benefits of exercise for women with PCOS. Let’s have a look at what the research says.BENEFITS OF EXERCISE FOR PCOSOne piece of research that I came across gave me some hope in terms of exercise and weight loss. Researchers found that women with PCOS who did 3 hours of aerobic exercise per week for 12 weeks had improved insulin sensitivity, cholesterol and visceral fat (that fat around your belly) even though they did NOT lose any weight. (1) So, even if you are not seeing any improvements on the scale, you are still doing good work to improve your symptoms in the long term by engaging in exercise on a regular basis.Also, women with PCOS suffer from chronic inflammation (more on this is a future article because I think it’s a big one). But,regular exercise improves inflammation markers (2) which is hugely important because chronic inflammation is linked to insulin resistance. (3) Once again, this shows that exercise improves sensitivity to insulin.There’s one final thing that I want to mention. A group of researchers looked at a number of studies and literature regarding exercise and PCOS. They considered 8 studies and found that “most consistent improvements included improved ovulation, reduced IR (9–30%) and weight loss (4.5–10%). Improvements were not dependant on the type of exercise, frequency or length of exercise sessions.” (4)So basically we’re saying that even if you don’t lose weight when exercising, you are still working on improving your:

insulin sensitivity

frequency of ovulation

cholesterol

body composition

You’ll see in all of the research studies we’ve looked at, there is a common thread: insulin resistance. Let’s have a look at why this is key with PCOS.INSULIN AND PCOSResearchers have found that insulin plays a key role in the development of PCOS, even if we are not insulin resistant. You see, insulin acts on our ovaries to stimulate the production of male hormones (testosterone). This happens in all women but our ovaries tend to be oversensitive to insulin, producing too much testosterone.But wait, there’s more. Insulin also acts to decrease the amount of Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG). Testosterone should bind to SHBG and not be free floating to cause havoc on our systems. If SHBG is low, there will be more free testosterone in our systems. (5)And here is the kicker: testosterone causes most of our PCOS symptoms: increased hair growth, male pattern baldness, acne, irregular cycles. So, you can see that it is VITAL that we mange our insulin levels to manage our testosterone. Everything that I have mentioned on this site in terms of diet is aimed at managing insulin and testosterone through diet. Now you have another way of managing it – through exercise.SUMMING IT UPSo, we’ve said that exercise is really beneficial to managing our PCOS as it helps to manage insulin levels which in turn improves our testosterone and SHBG levels. I can already hear the question you’re going to ask next: How much and what kind of exercise should we be doing? That’s too big a topic to tackle in this article so stay tuned for the follow up article on exercise!I’d love to hear your experiences of managing PCOS with exercise. Also, do you have any tips on how to stay motivated with exercise? I’d love to hear them!

Overcoming PCOS takes strength: emotional strength, mental strength and physical strength. In fact, strength training might be one of the most effective tools available to women who are looking to control their PCOS symptoms naturally.I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2005. After the initial shock of my diagnosis wore off, I was ready to take action. Unfortunately, my doctor had supplied me with a diagnosis and some very vague instructions to lose weight through diet and exercise, and then sent me on my way. I started to change my diet, and I went back to the gym.Fortunately for me, when I set foot in my local 24 Hour Fitness ten years ago I headed straight for the weight room. I did not have any special insight into how strength training could help manage PCOS. It was all luck; I was simply familiar with strength training because I grew up with parents who were avid weight lifters.Thousands of workouts, hours of research, several personal training certifications and over 30 pounds later I can tell you that finding my way to the weight room was one of the best things I could have done for my PCOS.The current research on PCOS and resistance training is limited to just four studies plus one on the way. While we still have a lot to learn about PCOS and exercise, one thing is clear: strength training helps! All five studies have concluded that regular strength training helped PCOS women lose weight.What exactly is Strength Training?You may envision dumbbells and barbells when you hear the words strength training, but that is just one of several ways you can strength train. You can use kettlebells, resistance bands, sandbags, and even your own bodyweight to strength train.No matter what type of strength training you choose to do, it is essential that you keep challenging yourself by following a program that progresses in difficulty. Why? Because the body adapts to exercise and needs to be constantly challenged in order to continue to grow and change.(Note: I’ve put together a bonus resource at the end of this post that will show you how to create an effective strength training program.)What I find so amazing about strength training is that it stimulates your body to make some valuable physiological adaptations. Physiological adaptation is the term exercise science nerds use to describe “a metabolic or physiologic adjustment within the body which results in the improved ability to function.” Basically, strength training improves your body’s day to day functioning. Many of the physiological adaptations created by regular strength training are extremely beneficial for women with PCOS.How does strength training help women with PCOS?Strength training reduces insulin resistance. Progressive strength training will increase the size of your skeletal muscle and can enhance the muscles’ ability to manage glucose. Researchers believe that these adaptations result in increased insulin sensitivity. Studies have not only observed this change in healthy women, but have also seen type II diabetics improve their insulin sensitivity through regular strength training.According to Dr. Mark Perloe, (an OBGYN and PCOS fertility expert), “PCOS is less about a woman’s ovaries and more about her insulin resistance.” Since insulin resistance is at the heart of PCOS, increasing your insulin sensitivity can help you manage your weight and possibly improve fertility!Muscles fight belly fat. Your body dislikes belly fat almost as much as you hate seeing it poke out over your jeans. Excess belly fat puts us at risk for PCOS complications like high cholesterol and metabolic syndrome. In an effort to tame tummy flab, many women gravitate toward exercises like crunches that target the abdominal muscles, but they would see better results from a pair of dumbbells and some squats! Strength training does a much better job of fighting abdominal fat. A University of Pennsylvania study found that overweight or obese women, ages 24–44, who were assigned to an hour of weight training twice a week reduced their proportion of body fat by nearly 4%.Weight lifters carry less cholesterol.Studies on both healthy women and women with type II diabetes have demonstrated a clear connection between strength training and lower LDL’s (bad cholesterol.)Having more muscle will help tip the scale – in the right direction!The metabolism stoking effects of muscle can help you lose fat. Muscle is metabolically active, which means it burns calories in order to sustain itself. Every bit of muscle you gain will increase the number of calories you burn each day, thus making it easier to lose weight and keep it off!Strength training is empowering.PCOS has a tendency to ravage our self-esteem. Strength training is the antidote! Once I stopped focusing on my PCOS and started focusing on getting stronger, my attitude did a 180 degree turn. I went from feeling defeated to feeling empowered, plus I started looking better and had more energy. I am convinced that building muscle is good for the soul!How do I start strength training?I recommend that women start strength training by doing a total body workout 3 times a week. A basic total workout should include an exercise for all of the major movement patterns:

Squat or knee dominant pattern

Deadlift or hip dominant pattern,

Upper body pushing, like a pushup

Upper body pulling, like a row

and a core exercise.

If you are doing a full body routine, you should take a day off from strength training in between each workout. In order to create those physiological adaptations we talked about, your workout needs to progress in difficulty. Once an exercise becomes easy to perform for 8-12 repetitions, the resistance level should be increased or you can move on to a more challenging version of the exercise.For Example: a good total body strength program might look something like this:

A 5-10 minute warm-up.

3 sets of walking lunges (with or without dumbbells)

3 sets of Pull Throughs

3 sets of Dumbbell Bench Press

3 sets of Resistance Band Rows

1-2 sets of Mountain Climbers

The amount of reps you complete with each set, the resistance level you use and rest in between sets can be adjusted to suit your fitness level.If you’re ready to get started but aren’t sure how to put together a good strength training program, grab a free copy of my step by step guide. It includes:

a list of the types of exercises you need

a basic workout format

and a schedule

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